“More than 70 percent” of active-duty and reserve respondents OK with repeal of DADT

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Looks like Arizona's angry old homophobe, Sen. John McCain, is down to his last card — the Marine Corps Commandant (more about him below).

The Washington Post reports today, Sources: Pentagon group finds there is minimal risk to lifting gay ban during war:

A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar with a draft of the report, which is due to President Obama on Dec. 1.

More than 70 percent of respondents to a survey sent to active-duty and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would be positive, mixed or nonexistent, said two sources familiar with the document. The survey results led the report's authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.

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[The unidentified source] said he felt compelled to share the information out of concern that groups opposed to ending the ban would mischaracterize the findings. The long, detailed and nuanced report will almost certainly be used by opponents and supporters of repeal legislation to bolster their positions in what is likely to be a heated and partisan congressional debate. [Read: John McCain]

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The document totals about 370 pages and is divided into two sections. The first section explores whether repealing "don't ask, don't tell" would harm unit readiness or morale. It cites the findings of a survey sent over the summer to 400,000 active-duty and reserve troops, a separate questionnaire sent to about 150,000 military spouses, the responses submitted to an anonymous online drop box seeking comments, and responses from focus-group participants.

The second part of the report presents a plan for ending enforcement of the ban. It is not meant to serve as the military's official instruction manual on the issue but could be used if military leaders agreed, one of the sources said.

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Although a majority of respondents signaled no strong objections, a significant minority is opposed to serving alongside openly gay troops. About 40 percent of the Marine Corps is concerned about lifting the ban, according to one of the people familiar with the report.

40 percent of Marines say they are "concerned" because their Marine Corps Commandant has openly resisted the civilian leadership of the Pentagon and his commander-in-chief to prepare for a repeal of DADT. They are following his example.

Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps Commandant, said last weekend that ending the policy in the middle of two wars would be risky for Marines. [General James Amos says that the Marines aren't ready for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."]

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen publicly rebuked Gen. Amos for expressing his concerns to news media before the report's release.

Matt Osborne reports at Crooks and Liars that:

Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos has been the first to weigh in with a contrary opinion, but no one should be surprised because the Corps is always last to integrate. As the US Army's history on service integration of minorities puts it:

The Truman order, the Fahy Committee, even the demands of civil rights leaders and the mandates of the draft law, all exerted pressure for reform and assured the presence of some black marines. But the Marine Corps was for years able to stave off the logical outcome of such pressures, and in the end it was the manpower demands of the Korean War that finally brought integration. (Emphasis mine)

The Marines took longer than any other service to integrate brown and black Americans. But at last biting the bullet, the transition went fairly smoothly for a service dominated by southern sensibilities:

Most significantly, the war provided a rising generation of Marine Corps officers with a first combat experience with black marines. The competence of these Negroes and the general absence of racial tension during their integration destroyed long accepted beliefs to the contrary and opened the way for general integration. (Emphasis mine)

Compared to women, however, no man of any color or sexuality has room to complain. DoD didn't fully integrate women until 1978. The Marines first enlisted women in 1943, but the female percentage of Marine personnel today is by far the lowest of any service. The USMC has always been dead last to adapt to the changing society it protects.

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If DADT is overturned, General Amos will have to ensure the will of the commander-in-chief gets carried out — through orders, the chain of command, and the EO chain already in place (.PDF). In essence, the general is claiming that Marines won't follow orders or maintain their military discipline. Something tells me that isn't true.

If Gen. Amos stated he will follow orders and that he will not tolerate any discrimination among Marines in his Corps, that 40 percent number would drop dramatically. He should lead by example. That's what it means to be a Marine.